journal_vol49no3 - 104

Persistence in the face of adversity was demonstrated by all of the participants and
is one of the five happenstance learning skills identified by Mitchell and colleagues
(1999) that can improve career opportunities. While almost all participants indicated a
desire to stay within higher education, some did adjust their path toward a job that did
not involve after-hours calls and so much crisis work.
Achieving work/life balance is a significant struggle for many live-in professionals
(Belch & Mueller, 2003; Belch et al., 2009; Burke et al., 2016). Secondary traumatic
stress and burnout, when combined with unrealistic job expectations, are significant
factors that can lead to the attrition of hall directors (Buchanan & Shupp, 2015).
While some have argued that the expectations of the job have always been excessive
(Blimling, 2015), the added stress of providing support to an RA experiencing suicidal
ideation can make the workload unbearable. Consistently across all interviews, participants
acknowledged the toll that this kind of support had on their personal well-being.
IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE
The narratives within the findings highlight several implications for practice. Participants
acknowledged the importance of having a supportive and competent supervisor,
which is consistent with previous research highlighting that effective supervision
can reduce the stress and attrition of RHDs (e.g., Belch & Mueller, 2003; Flory, 2017;
St. Onge et al., 2008). While there was variation in the level of emotional support they
desired from their supervisors, almost all indicated that their supervisors did at least
attempt to support them. Amy's supervisor checked in on her regularly to see how
she was doing, asked about her staff, and also made treats for her and her team. Even
though most participants indicated that their supervisor at least attempted to support
them, Mindy cautioned that it was important to go beyond telling staff " Call me if
you need anything. " Her supervisor did provide support to her in the moment, but
Mindy was hopeful that she would simply have said, " I'll be right there. " Other participants
indicated that at times they would pretend they were doing well in order to avoid
describing all of the intensive labor involved, thinking that the perception that they
couldn't handle the stress of the job might interfere with promotional opportunities.
One participant spoke about her own deteriorating mental health and how she did not
feel comfortable discussing her concerns with a supervisor, as she was hoping to get a
promotion and felt she had to " chin up " in order to keep moving forward.
In addition to training supervisors to be more supportive, higher education institutions
could help staff cope by providing required counseling sessions for RHDs. Law
enforcement officers are required to undergo counseling when they experience specific
traumatic events on the job, and student affairs staff who experience trauma would
also likely benefit from counseling even if it is mandated. If having a requirement is
not supported by a campus's human resource department or legal team, making it
strongly encouraged could be an effective recognition of the trauma staff have encountered
and the care that campus leadership has for those who are affected.
Volume 49, No. 3 * 2023 101

journal_vol49no3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of journal_vol49no3